Staffordshire’s purveyors of pastoral pop, epic 45, return after a seven-year hiatus with new album ‘Through Broken Summer’, set for release on the 28th September via Wayside and Woodland Recordings. The album is the band’s first release since 2011’s critically acclaimed album ‘Weathering’, which explored the lingering death of rural communities.

Much of what has always driven epic45 still remains; the British landscape, hazy childhood memories and a sense of loss. However, as tensions across Britain have increased, epic45 have been forced to re-examine their relationship with the country in which they live.

“The album is about, in part, returning to the place where we grew up from birth to our early twenties. From a personal perspective, it’s sad to see the place changing; new houses, the disappearance of old landmarks etc and the sadness of our childhood homes, strangely quiet now. But on a wider scale, it’s the palpable sense of cultural and political stagnation too. It’s a very insular place now, the community more fragmented than ever before”.

Atmospheric soundscapes combined with subtle electronics permeate throughout ‘Through Broken Summer’. ‘Outside’ and ‘From Quiet Houses’ are written with a sense of grandeur and astral beauty but darker moments are witnessed on tracks like ‘Other Rooms’, a glitchy, static affair.

There is a calming and addictively measured beauty to ‘Through Broken Summer. ‘Hillside ‘86’, which includes a guest appearance by Antony Harding of July Skies, shimmers against a backdrop of broken beats and heavenly sonics. If you’re looking for musical references, you might be able to hear the ghosts of Sarah Records, Disco Inferno, Slowdive and New Order in epic45’s ever evolving sound.

It comes as no surprise to find that epic45's Ben Holton and Rob Glover grew up in a small rural village in the English Midlands. Since their debut 7" single in 1999 (which received immediate support from John Peel on Radio 1) they have released a series of widely celebrated EPs and albums, inspired by their surroundings; blissful childhood summers and the ever-changing landscape of the English countryside.

The duo has been making music for more than 20 years and have toured extensively in Europe and Japan. They have collaborated with artists such as Simon Scott (Slowdive), Stephen Jones (Babybird) and Bibio (Warp Records). epic45 will be undertaking a short UK tour in the Autumn.